i have a 66 with the 8 in and i want to get rid of the "1 wheel wonder" burnouts and find a way to make the car 2 wheel drive instead of 1 with the open differential...any suggestions? what have some of you guys done with yours i really dont want to spend 900 on a trac lock differential so i hope there are some alternatives
thanks!
there is only one budget alternative, and that's a late model 8.8
fox mustang length is perfect, or a ford explorer 8.8 will work.
lots and lots of info out there.
You'll have to find a competant welder....as the leaf spring perches need to be put in the right spot and welded...however you can find fox 8.8's for $75-200 for a good stock 2.73 geared trak lok unit...or the same price from a junkyard and get an explorer rear with 31 spline axles...
If you've got someone who can weld, this is the cheapest alternative
__________________
Jeremy
-86 ssp X chp 5.0 coupe
-66 coupe,Ford racing crate 5.0 roller engine, t5 trans
-1972 Maverick undergoing full resto
-1970 Maverick Grabber-why did I buy this one??
If you aren't putting a big stroker motor or doing a lot of drag racing, a lock-rite locker runs around $300 and is a reasonable option. see this article from ford muscle
but these guys are using theirs primarily for drag racing and say it works well. If I were going to go drag racing a lot though I think I would replace the whole carrier. I guess that is just me.
there is a lot of info out there...
this will push your wheels out an inch on 65/66 cars..not a big deal if you're running late model mustang wheels.
86-93 fox with sn95 disc brakes and the northstar brackets...or an explorer rear 95-01
__________________
Jeremy
-86 ssp X chp 5.0 coupe
-66 coupe,Ford racing crate 5.0 roller engine, t5 trans
-1972 Maverick undergoing full resto
-1970 Maverick Grabber-why did I buy this one??
This is one instance where I really believe newer is not better. the 8.8 axle is a good axle don't get me wrong, but why Ford went away from the removeable carrier design to basically the same as a dana rearend with the c-clips,
I guess it falls to the old adage "if it doesn't make sense it probably comes down to money."
the truth is look at all the streetrodders and drag racers out there from any group ford, chevy mopar whatever. they all use the 9 inch rearend. and for good reason it is one of the best rearends ever made and it is easy to work with, easy to swap ring and pinion gears easy to adjust. and it works. the 8 inch is nearly identical in design and is very much under estimated in how much it will hold up to read the article I posted above.
the 8 inch is a good differential, if you want limited slip or posi go with the lock rite or one of the other designs,
and if you do swap it out, save that 8 inch because there are a lot of guys out there doing v-8 conversions who would love to buy it from you. they are getting hard to find.
here is a currie built new ford traction lock carrier for $500.00 that is your best bet. you will have a tractionlock you can do the work yourself, and be very happy with the results
This is one instance where I really believe newer is not better. the 8.8 axle is a good axle don't get me wrong, but why Ford went away from the removeable carrier design to basically the same as a dana rearend with the c-clips,
I guess it falls to the old adage "if it doesn't make sense it probably comes down to money."
the truth is look at all the streetrodders and drag racers out there from any group ford, chevy mopar whatever. they all use the 9 inch rearend. and for good reason it is one of the best rearends ever made and it is easy to work with, easy to swap ring and pinion gears easy to adjust. and it works. the 8 inch is nearly identical in design and is very much under estimated in how much it will hold up to read the article I posted above.
the 8 inch is a good differential, if you want limited slip or posi go with the lock rite or one of the other designs,
and if you do swap it out, save that 8 inch because there are a lot of guys out there doing v-8 conversions who would love to buy it from you. they are getting hard to find.
I've personally found tha many of the hot rodders and vintage muscle crowd are VERY old school, and not hip to the newer technologies. Coming from the fox crowd, before going vintage I'm used to using all the new techologies. Most of the guys building the old musclecars and hot rods stick with what they know. Hell, why do you think STILL to this day that so many people put chevy 350's in their vintage steel, whether it's a ford, or chevy or dodge?? Guys who just aren't up to the modern day tech. THese guys think good engines died with the chevy 350, and no rear end on this planet besides the 9" will ever be worth running.
The 8.8 will take a full slick in stock condition with a built motor, and you can't say that for any 8"
WHile I agree c clips can be bad...the bottom line is that fox guys run 350-400 hp on a stock 28 spline 8.8 rear, and do it for years. My friend that I know personally ran a bone stock 8.8 with 28 spline stock axles, 373 gears and a full slick for 4 seasons at the drag strip...sometimes going twice to three times a month.
The ford 8.8 has been called the next 9"
__________________
Jeremy
-86 ssp X chp 5.0 coupe
-66 coupe,Ford racing crate 5.0 roller engine, t5 trans
-1972 Maverick undergoing full resto
-1970 Maverick Grabber-why did I buy this one??
i have a 66 with the 8 in and i want to get rid of the "1 wheel wonder" burnouts and find a way to make the car 2 wheel drive instead of 1 with the open differential...any suggestions? what have some of you guys done with yours i really dont want to spend 900 on a trac lock differential so i hope there are some alternatives
thanks!
Cody, T
The 8" rear end is fine. Mustang Monthly did a write up on building ear end. They used an 8". They stated thet the 8" was just as ever strong as the 9" unless you plan on some serious stuff over 350hp. The 8" is also 100lbs lighter the then 9". EVen the 28spline axles can really hold their own against some extra hp so dont worry about that either. Here are some choices that i like...
The Auburn system form Adams is only 380 bucks. I use Auburn Diffs in my Hummer (and they take a beating) and they are FANTASTIC!!! And for the price you cant go wrong.
the integral carrier design is not new technology. it has been around for years, the chevolet differentials are all integral carriers, and so are the dana differentials.
I will grant you as I said above the 8.8 is a good differential, I think that the 8 and 9 inch differentials have a lot of advantages. he has an 8 inch already, I see no point in swapping to an 8.8 when he can upgrade his 8 inch to handle anything he is likely to need.
After owning a '90GT with traction lock for 6 years, I often thought about this same 8" open problem myself. I think the suggestions above on dropping in the Auburn or other brand in your existing rear will be a LOT easier and cheaper than messing with an 8.8 swap. Nothing wrong with swapping in the 8.8, but unless you have a good one on hand I think for the money and headache keeping the 8" is your best bet; especially considering the 4 lug conversion, wider track, etc. That's just my opinon.
I can't resist commenting on the hot rodder comment. Every hot rod is the same damn thing: 350/350 turbo, Ford 9", Mustang II front suspension, GM tilt column, digital gauges. SNORE. For a hobby that is supposed to be original, there's an awful lot of the same ol' same ol' going around. Please don't tell me about how reliable and cheap these parts are, we all know it.
This might be why hotrods that use unique engines, like this:
are so popular and get so much attention. I think they're too many guys out there that want their hotrod to be as comfy as their BMW, perhaps a product of fewer and fewer owners being the actual builders of the cars and the ensuing disconnection that only money can buy.
Original and unique will always be cool! I live in Japan now, so once in a while I get to see stuff like this:
1966 289-2V C-4 Convertible. All original drivetrain. Factory center console and power top. Dual res. MC and power brake upgrade. Rust bucket brought back to life, I am the 2nd owner of "Lucy".
1990 GT 25th Anniversary 5.0 AOD Convertible. Dynomax cat-back, K&N, the usual crap. Welded in subframes, welded in reinforcement plates (Ford riveted them in. Go Ford! )New engine and transmission. Date coded radiator hoses. Second owner of "Katie".
Someone mentioned the Richmond gear "lock-rite". That's the strip version. They also sell the "no-Slip" that is street friendly. Had mine in the 8.8 rear for over 30K miles with no problems at all. Summit has them for right around $500 but cheaper other places. Took two hours to install, no gear set-up required, just replaced the spider gears with the unit.
Dave
Get some really old nasty gear oil my old truck acted like it had a lsd but the gear oil never was changed and it was thick.A 8.8 is ok but after i broke one in a ranger with slicks i'll never use one again i love the 8 inch and 9 inch i can rebuild one a lot faster.
ford 8 in traction lock alternative? 
)New engine and transmission. Date coded radiator hoses. Second owner of "Katie".
